Artemis Fowl: The Super Pit
by immortal215
Summary: When someone calls Artemis Fowl II for help, he stumbles upon another evidence of contact between the People and the humans,only this time the Fairies on the other end are the last ones you would expect. Takes place six months post events in Time Paradox
1. Prologue and Chapter 1

_Disclaimer : _The Artemis Fowl series and all related characters belong to the revered Eoin Colfer. Characters introduced by myself, however, are mine.

Note_: some information included regarding the owners of the Super pit in Australia is false, other than that it all checks out. This fic might contain spoilers for Artemis Fowl books one through six. This fic takes place six months after events in _The Time Paradox.

**Prologue**

June 25th, King Manor, Adelaide, South Australia, Austalia

Thomas King's body convulsed as he drew in a sharp breath, his left hand clutched his chest in agony as he did so. His once handsome and full face was now pale, withered and drawn. His right arm lay at his side twitching meekly. He inhaled yet another breath.

His sixteen year old son stood by his side, sobbing quietly, unable to think of something to say or do to ease his father's suffering. He shivered each time his father's body shook.

A tall man stood in the shadows behind the weeping boy. The man's index finger tapped on the top of his wooden cane monotonously, like a clock ticking away the time Thomas King had left in this world.

The room they occupied was the Kings' master bedroom, a large ornate chamber decorated in a manner and endowed with furniture fit for a king. The room seemed rather too grand for such a grave circumstance, in spite of the chill that emanated from the king-size bed on which Thomas King lay.

Suddenly, the ill man lurched forward and grabbed his son by the collar. He opened his mouth to speak, but only a gurgling noise came out. The difficulty he faced when breathing and his wheezy coughs were a result of the pneumonia he suffered from. This, however, was due to the final stages of lymphocytic leukemia, or rather blood cancer, he was in. His immunity has been lowered drastically by the blood cancer, and infectious diseases broke into his body. Uninvited. Unchallenged. Modern medicine was reduced to treating symptoms and world renowned doctors predicted a maximum of a couple of weeks for him to live. That was a week ago.

King made another attempt at speaking and his voice came out thin, his words were barely intelligible.

"Ryan," gurgled King

The boy didn't trust himself to speak, he nodded and his father continued every word or so interrupted by a wheezy cough or agonizing breath.

"I can feel it, son," said King "my end has come"

"NO!" wailed the boy "Don't say such a thing. You'll live…you have to"

"Be strong, my boy," wheezed King "and know that I have always loved you"

These few words seemed to take their toll on Thomas King. He collapsed in a faint, his head resting on his son's shoulder.

"Father, No!" screamed the boy thinking his father has relinquished his hold on life, but he restrained himself once he felt his father pull in another tantalizing breath.

However, less than ten minutes later, Thomas King's labored breathing ceased and his soul left the restrains of the material and finally joined its maker.

His son did not wail nor cry, this time. He placed his father on the bed again and kissed his forehead. He mouthed a prayer to the heavens and covered his father's face with one of the bed sheets.

The man standing in the shadows moved forward and placed his hand on the boy's shoulder, gripping it tightly. This gesture was not a _be strong, young man _gesture,but was rather a _you're not going anywhere _gesture.

"Checkmate," drawled the man, his accent clearly Australian, chuckling at his wit "A good riddance by all means"

"What?" said the boy, turning to look at him.

"Mr. Andrews," said the man into a microphone fixed into his sleeve "If you could please escort young Mr. Archer to the nearest police department. I believe he is trespassing on private property"

William Andrews, the Kings' newly appointed hulking head of security, entered the room. He advanced on Ryan King and gripped his forearm in one liquid motion. The young King frowned.

"What is the meaning of this?" he demanded.

The man with the cane pulled out a small stack of papers from within his jacket's breast pocket and threw the stack into Ryan's face.

The boy took the stack and looked at the first paper and his heart beat skyrocketed.

His own face glared back at him from a photo he never remembered taking, on an identity card he never saw before. For in the name section was: John Brian Archer.

"What the hell…" said the boy, before it all dawned on him, he jumped at the man with the cane "Loki, you snake"

But before he could touch a hair on Stevenson Loki's well-cared for mane of jet black hair, he was pulled back by Andrews' thick arm.

Ryan King was then unceremoniously removed from his own house, with nothing to identify himself with save for legal papers which proved him to be someone else entirely.

* * *

**Chapter one**: **The Last King**

June 28th, Fowl Manor, Dublin, Ireland 

Artemis Fowl was in his father's study, putting the final touches on an article on "Stockholm's Syndrome" under the pseudonym "Dr. Cade Knapp R." when he was interrupted by Juliet opening the door none too quietly.

"Artemis," said Juliet "There's a call for you"

"Who is it?" inquired Artemis, irritated. He has warned her not to interrupt him, unless it was important.

Juliet frowned in annoyance. "Won't say"

Artemis sighed. He missed Butler.

His parents were at an environmentalists' conference held in Sicily. Butler insisted on accompanying them, seeing as to how many of Artemis Fowl senior's past criminal associates were based in Sicily, and none of them were too pleased by his 'going legit'. Thus, Juliet was called from the United States, interrupting her tour as _Jade Princess_, to stay with the young Artemis for the duration of the conference, which was to be divided over a stretch of five days. Becket and Myles were, once again, at the nanny's cottage in Howth.

Now, if it was Butler who had answered the phone, and found the caller reluctant to give his name, he would most likely hang up, not before delivering one of his threats, which generally included painful arm wrenching and bullets. But, Juliet was never one for the Bodyguard conduct courses she received at Madam Ko's. Juliet was more interested in the arm wrenching part of the job.

Artemis sighed again. "I'll take it"

Juliet handed him the wireless receiver and exited the room muttering about how she must have missed half of some match. Artemis put the receiver to his mouth.

"Hello"

"Artemis Fowl?" inquired a thick Australian accent.

"Yes," replied Artemis cautiously "Who is this?"

The caller seemed to sigh in relief.

"Ryan King," replied the caller "We've met in Australia"

Artemis remembered the visit to the King family, owners of King Gold Corporation, a 50/50 owner of the The Fimiston Open Pit, more commonly known as the Super Pit, Australia's largest gold mine. The head of the family, Thomas King, was terribly ill and Artemis Fowl senior decided that they pay him a visit, seeing as to how the King family had helped them financially during his MIA time in the bay of kola. That visit was a couple of months ago.

"Ah, Mr. King," said Artemis with fake courtesy "How are you doing? Your father is alright, I hope?"

"My father is dead, Mr. Fowl," retorted Ryan King.

"I am…err…sorry to hear so," said Artemis unsurely "If there is anything I could do for…you…"

"There is," said the young King quickly "I'm in a real fix. My father's advisor, Stevenson Loki, has kicked me out of my own house. He has, somehow, deleted every record of me everywhere. My ID Card, my temporary driver's license, even my birth certificate. It's as if I never existed. He is planning to take over King Gold Corporation"

Artemis instantly typed in an internet search about Stevenson Loki.

"I'm sorry, Mr. King," said Artemis coolly "I don't see how I would be of any help. This, apparently, is a matter which concerns your family and its advisor"

The search results came up, and Artemis opened one that was headlined: New KGC owner to donate gold to St. Peter's Cathedral

"You don't understand," cried King hoarsely "I am my family. I am the last person carrying the King name. Now, that Loki's turned me into some bloke called John Archer, the Kings are all dead. You're the notorious Artemis Fowl, you know things, you know people, and you can help me"

"I don't know what nonsense you've been hearing," hissed Artemis "But just because I have left the way of crime, doesn't mean I've become some benevolent do-gooder"

The link opened a small article which talked about how _the charitable Mr. Loki, the new King Gold Co. owner, is going to give away a quarter ton of gold to St. Peter's Cathedral, which had decided to use it for renovations in the Adelaide Orphanage and many other similar institutions. Loki had been willed the KG Corporation by the childless Thomas W. King, who had died of a late stage of Leukemia earlier this week._

Artemis frowned. _Childless?_

"We helped you," said King desperately "we paid the debts your family owed when your father was thought drowned on the Fowl Star"

"If I remember correctly, Mr. King" said Artemis, his voice dropping another couple of degrees "that debt has been paid in full"

Artemis zoomed in on a picture of Stevenson Loki standing next to one of the priests. Loki was a tall man, with jet black hair hanging in curtains around his pale face. His thin mouth was open in a calm smile. His grey eyes, however, seemed distant and unfocused. Artemis zoomed in on his eyes. He almost gasped as he saw the man's iris. The edge of the retina was ragged, as though it had been nibbled on by tiny sclera fish. Stevenson Loki has been mesmerized, and by the looks of his tattered iris, quite a lot.

"Fowl," said Ryan tentatively "Are you still on?"

Artemis didn't reply. His mind was in fifth gear. Calculating. Plotting.

"Ah, great," said King with a sigh "He hung up on me"

Artemis was broken out of his thinking trance.

"Mr. King," said Artemis "I've thought it over and I've decided am going to help you. I will call you back on this number shortly"

"But…well, okay," said King and he hung up.

Artemis quickly manipulated his fairy communicator, which was aptly disguised as ring, and tried to send a message to Holly. A faint staccato beeping emanated from the device. No signal. The flares must be up, and they are known to sometimes block transmissions for hours on end. Artemis didn't have much time to waste.

Power struggles were not uncommon in wealthy corporate European families. Artemis knew better than to interfere in such matters. Nevertheless, if the People were somehow involved…

Besides, with magical aid, erasing someone from existence may not be so difficult after all. Artemis knew he had to act immediately. The last time the People came in contact with the humans, terrible events took place.

Artemis turned his eyes on the article about Loki. He scanned it quickly and found his mark:

_Stevenson Loki would be honored in St. Peter's Cathedral on June 29__th __St. Peter's Day, at 2:00 pm, following mass._

_Destination and timing _thought Artemis. He picked up the receiver and redialed the last incoming call.

"Hello," replied King on the first ring "Fowl?"

"Yes," said Artemis "Meet me tomorrow at the entrance of St. Peter's Cathedral, on King William Street, at 1:00 pm"

"Why St. Peter's?"

"You'll see"

"I never took you for an Anglican, Fowl" said Ryan King darkly.

"Just be there, Mr. King," said Artemis coldly "It will unravel to you from there"

Artemis whipped out his mobile phone and sent a message to Butler's, it said:

_Humans in contact with the People. Boarding first plane to Australia. Juliet is with me. I'll call with details. Trust me_

And he would.

A plan was already forming itself in Artemis' mind. A very Fowl plan.

* * *

(A/N : Next chapter should be up in a couple of days, hopefully. Meanwhile, you can review your thoughts and/or feelings about…everything really. Cheers!)


	2. Chapter 2

**(AN: New chapter!!! Next chapter should be up in a day or two. Enjoy!)**

**_Warning: This story may contain spoilers from Artemis Fowl books one through six._**

_Disclaimer : The Artemis Fowl series and all related characters are the property of the great Eoin Colfer. Characters introduced by myself, on the other hand, are mine._

**Chapter 2: Detect-o-Dwarf**

June 29th, Ops Booth, Police Plaza, Haven City

Captain Holly Short and Technical Consultant Foaly were watching a Council press conference in one of the latter's large plasma screens in Ops Booth.

"The council has barely enough funding to pay its own officers' paychecks," said Council Chairman Acheron Lope softly, in response to a reporter's inquiry "Alas, the much needed renovations to Police Plaza will inevitably have to wait until enough funding is procured, thank you"

He stepped out from behind the small silver podium and descended a small flight of steps. Chairman Acheron Lope was a stocky gnome with an exceptionally large belly. He was barely a meter tall. No one would ever think this ridiculously-shaped man would be on the council let alone be its very head. But, what Lope lacked in appearance he made up for in charisma and

"Do you believe this guy?" said Foaly cynically "Not enough funding my hoof. The Council siphons more money from the LEP ransom fund into their pockets every month than the whole force makes in a year".

Holly smiled calmly. Foaly being Foaly.

As matter of fact, she liked the newly appointed Chairman far more than his Predecessor, Abraxas Cahartez, who was _your typical model of corrupt government_, Holly thought. Lope, however, seemed to be more down to earth…or below earth, that is. He related to the lowest levels in the Fairy society, being a former member of that level himself, not a century ago.

"To all reconnaissance Captains," issued a robotic voice from speakers set in the ceiling "Report immediately to the Commander's office"

Holly continued to stare at the plasma screen, now showing a previous press conference made by Lope, the night following his inauguration.

"Umm, Holly?" said Foaly quietly "I believe that was for you"

Holly blanched. She kept forgetting she was reassigned to LEPrecon by Commander Kelp, even though she turned down the Major rank and reverted to her old rank, Captain.

She was already sprinting through the corridors by the time Foaly managed to say:

"Holly, you forgot your helmet!"

* * *

Commander Trouble Kelp's office, Police Plaza

Holly jumped through the threshold to Commander Kelp's office, only to find it crammed with nearly half a dozen recon captains.

"Gentlemen," said Kelp, not bothering to correct himself when he set eyes on Holly, who came last "We have a situation"

"Rogue fairies, sir?" asked one of the captains, almost excitedly.

"More or less," replied Commander Kelp "a group of dwarves have been picked up on Foaly's systems sneaking aboveground, apparently they have no above surface visas, but that would be the least of our problems, right now"

Kelp manipulated a remote in his hand and a projection of a city as seen from above appeared on the white wall behind his desk. He clicked a button on the remote and red dots appeared at apparently random sites on the map.

"This is the City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder, in West Australia," said Kelp, having slight trouble pronouncing the name "It is also the home of a large gold mine known as the Huge Pit…or something similar. More importantly, it is the site in which this group of dwarves emerged and incidentally, Mud People have been reporting robberies in the areas highlighted on the map ever since the dwarves got out of chute E54 using a rudimentary shuttle

"The robberies, after being studied by our best experts, were found out to be somewhat similar to those committed by another former aboveground dwarf thief we are all _familiar _with," said Kelp, glaring at Holly.

This caused many of the not-so-bright Captains to look in the direction the commander was gazing at, wondering if said dwarf was with them in the very room.

Holly, on the other hand, wondered if Mulch was involved. She had just paid him a visit only yesterday and he didn't seem like he was going for an aboveground trip of any kind soon.

"Unfortunately, we don't have actual evidence that these dwarves were the ones responsible for the robberies, so using any sort of firepower is out of the question. So, until some tangible evidence is found, I trust you'll keep your hands away from your Neutrinos"

He then whispered a curse to the new Fairy Bill of Rights recently issued by the Council. Many of the captains agreed with him, which they showed by muttering their own variations of cursing.

"You'll scout the whole city in groups of two," said Kelp, his commanding voice drowning any more swearing "you will also have one of Foaly's new gadgets to help you locate the Dwarves. Foaly!"

The projection on the wall turned into the centaur's proud face, the feed from Ops Booth zoomed out to reveal him holding a device which looked like a silver cone with a small LCD screen set on the side.

"Allow me to introduce," said Foaly and a drum roll could be heard from one of the speakers behind him "Sorry, I couldn't resist. Allow me to give you the Detect-o-Dwarf"

Kelp raised an eyebrow.

"What? It's only a working title," said Foaly acting offended, "ok. Now, due to their unique metabolism, dwarves also have more or less unique heat signatures. You see, dwarf heat signatures fall within a certain range and this baby here is designed to pick up on the bodily temperatures which fall within this range. Thus, you'd be able to pinpoint the dwarves' location within a twenty foot diameter circle"

Everyone gathered in the commander's office was staring blankly at the screen.

"Genius, isn't it?" said the arrogant centaur, smiling widely, before his image disappeared with a click from Kelp's remote "Hey, I wasn't finished bragging!"

Another click, and the audio feed was cut off as well.

"Okay," said Kelp "Since it is daytime aboveground, the dwarves will probably be underground lazing off in some tunnel or another. Once the dwarves' location is figured out, retrieval will raid whichever tunnel they were at.

"I want this situation contained before sundown, which gives you a maximum of four hours to find the perpetrators and two hours for retrieval to have them in Police Plaza. Understand?"

Holly swore he sounded so much like Commander Root at the moment, she could have shut her eyes and she would think Root was standing in front of her.

* * *

June 29th, 10:00 am, Elder Park, Adelaide, Australia

Ryan King sat on the grass of Elder Park, unable of to come up with something to do from now till 2:00 pm. He twiddled with the tattered ends of his white designer shirt, marveling at how he managed to look like some beggar, in the short time span of four days without his tri-daily baths with moisturizer and custom made peach and mango lotion.

The Kings' Head of Security's heart softened for the boy and he decided against turning him over to the police. He jammed a few bills into Ryan's pocket and warned him from returning. Ryan was puzzled at the bills thrust into his pocket, he had at least three credit cards in his wallet.

A couple of hours later, he thanked the heavens the Head of Security had given him the money. He had tried to book a room in a Holiday Inn using his credit cards only to find out they were all wiped clean. He took a look at his own Identification Card, which he found to be entirely blank, along with his passport and related documents. The only legal papers he actually had on him were those proclaiming him to be John Archer.

He had managed to get a room in a filthy hotel near the city center, with the small sum given to him by Andrews. He spent the rest on some canned food to sustain him.

Of all the many strange incidents which took place over the last four days, however, nothing quite surprised him as much as the visits he made to the very few friends he had. All of his friends, akin to the credit cards and Identification documents, came up blank. His most recent conversation with Adrian Smith, the son of Smith Telecom's founder, replayed itself in his mind.

* * *

_(Flashback)_

June 27th, Adrian Smith's residence, Adelaide, Australia

Ryan stood at the fawn wooden door of Adrian's two story house. He rang the bell twice, paused, and then rang twice again. That was his signature ring. Adrian would undoubtedly know Ryan King was at the door. The door opened immediately. Ryan could not help but smile. He would sleep in a decent bed, today.

"Jesus, man," said Smith "easy on the door bell!"

"Adrian!" exclaimed Ryan, never in his life was he more happy to see the young man.

Smith raised an eyebrow.

"Umm, yes?" he said unsurely.

"It's me, mate," said Ryan, feeling an unsettling sense of déjà vu. This was the way his previous conversations with his friends, in the last two days, went like. "Ryan King, man!

"I'm sorry, who?" inquired Smith looking around King's shoulder "Is this candid camera?"

* * *

June 29th, 10:20 am, Elder Park, Adelaide, Australia

Ryan King laid back on the grass and decided to snooze off till it was time to meet with Artemis Fowl. If he ever came, that is. He knew greater powers were at work here. And could not help wondering why Fowl managed, unlike Ryan's friends, to remember him, in spite of the fleeting time he had met him in Adelaide.

He also wondered about his sanity. He did this a lot in the past four days. Could he be actually someone named John Archer, who had lived in a sixteen-year-old daydream in which he was the son of one of the richest men in Australia? He would immediately discard that idea as nonsensical, but it always came back to him.

He would also sometimes wonder _why me?_

* * *

**(AN: So, as I said next chapter should be up in a maximum of three days, probably sooner. Please review your thoughts and/or suggestions. Till next time!)**


	3. Chapter 3, Part One

**(AN: June 29****th**** has apparently taken a breadth of 2-3 chapters, but after chapter 3, events will hopefully take place on other days. This chapter was split into twp parts, which are consecutively uploaded. Enjoy!)**

_Disclaimer: The Artemis Fowl series and all related characters belong the awesome Eoin Colfer. _

_**Warning: This story may contain spoilers from Artemis Fowl books one through six.**_

_**

* * *

**_

**Chapter Three: A renegade on a cathedral **

**Part one.**

**June 29****th****, Commander Kelp's office, Police Plaza**

Holly watched the recon captains as they packed up their gear and made it for the entrance to chute E54. She envied them right there and then. She had been berating herself for a few minutes now.

She could still feel her face somewhat moist, due to the blasts of hot, saliva-ridden air coming from Commander Trouble Kelp's mouth as he screamed at her. His face had acquired a complexion which would have made the late Commander Root proud.

Stray sentences from that conversation, which was not five minutes ago, flowed through her mind.

"Your Helmet!" shouted Kelp, spraying Holly's face with saliva. "The most basic and important device in a recon captain's arsenal, and you forget it on some bench in Ops Booth!"

"A whole month!" said Kelp. "No aboveground missions for a whole month! Yes, that should teach you to forget your real eyes and ears on the field"

"I don't know, Holly," muttered Kelp, considerably calmer so it is possible that most of haven had not heard that statement. "I'm having second thoughts about this reassignment of yours.

"I've always thought you belonged in recon, now I'm not so sure. Perhaps, you'd do better on the Kraken Watch"

Holly protested vehemently at that, but she knew Trouble would not do it, anyways.

His temper had been like that for a few months, now.

Commander Trouble was never strict when it came to matters like Fairy Police Conduct and Regulation and was even ready to overlook a mind wipe here or there, if it meant an objective was accomplished.

Now, however, Commander Kelp would dock a whole day's pay if a captain had so much as even lowered his helmet visor during a mission, or in this case, forgotten it all together.

Holly's colleagues jokingly said that the Commander was 'warping', which basically meant he was starting to become the regulation-abiding, conduct-adhering stereotypical version of a commander.

Holly, on the other hand, knew better.

Commander Kelp missed the aboveground missions.

The surges of adrenaline when he would charge a rogue bull troll with a setting four Neutrino burst and jump out of the way when the towering beast would fall.

The thrill of flying aboveground, and the cool morning winds slapping against his face when he would open his visor.

Aboveground missions were very hard to come by when one is commander, and so were the excitement and the fun.

Commander Kelp was letting out his suppressed anger and frustration at being incarcerated underground on his cadets, captains and majors.

She watched him as he typed in a few reports. He had not dismissed her, which meant he still had some more lecturing to do.

He never looked up at her as his fingers hit the keyboard keys in a speed which could have given Foaly a run for his money.

Holly stood in front of his desk, uncomfortably shifting her weight from one foot to the other. They have started to ache, which must mean she was standing for quite some time.

Trouble paused and looked up to her, meeting her eyes. When he spoke, his voice was calm, very different from the one he used when he was rebuking her.

"Holly, you know as much as I do that…"

But he never had a chance to complete, for a loud beep emanated from one of his computers and the face of the Technical Consultant, once again, appeared on the projection on the wall. Albeit, now, his face betrayed much worry and anxiety.

"Commander!" said Foaly, his voice a little high pitched. "A message just came through from above!"

"Well," said the Commander, Foaly's anxiety reflected in his own. "Patch it through, why don't you!"

"Commander," said Foaly, much quieter. "I believe it'd be better if we view it in Ops Booth. It's from Artemis Fowl."

* * *

**June 29****th****, the Red Dingo café, across from St. Peter's Cathedral, Adelaide **

Artemis' fingers slapped the keys of his laptop's keyboard, typing a short message addressed to Foaly.

He had managed to hack into the trackers Foaly had installed on human satellites and was now directly connected to his mainframe.

Of course, Foaly's defenses would realize this immediately and shut Artemis out by rebooting the system, so he had mere minutes to get his point across.

Artemis and Juliet have taken one of the tables near the café's glass windows, allowing them a clear view of the entrance to the cathedral.

They were later joined by a bedraggled Ryan King. Who sat in relative silence, scratching the week's worth of stubble on his cheeks. The sound produced was akin to that issued when nails scratch a blackboard.

He had tried directing questions to Artemis about his own fate, but was met with monosyllabic answers, he did the same with Fowl's pretty companion, and was met with a stern _talk again and you die _gaze.

So he decided silence was, indeed, a virtue.

Juliet scowled, trying with all her might to watch passers by for potential threats and not think about how many championship belts she must have missed by going on this venture.

Artemis looked at the short message he had come up with.

**Contact between the Fairies and a human is, once again, certain. Stevenson Loki, a recent corporate owner, is believed to be on the human end and has shown clear signs of being mesmerized many times. I am on site here in Adelaide, Australia, awaiting your response.**

He could have written more details, but Foaly's system could pick him up any second, now. This would have to do.

He pressed send.

* * *

**Meanwhile in Ops Booth**

Commander Kelp read and reread the message and felt his skin crackle in excitement, a feeling he used to receive when he was being briefed on an aboveground retrieval mission, preferably one with a troll to retrieve.

The commander had never been on the receiving end of that feeling for many a month.

Foaly was pacing the wire-ridden room. Typing a command in this computer and viewing reports on another.

Holly stood next to the commander, mouthing the message over and over.

"Well," said Kelp "Have you checked this Loki person on the Cahartez Decree list?"

The Cahartez Decree was one issued by former Council Chairman Abraxas Cahartez, in which he stated that the Council could now have certain humans put under the _Mesmer._

For example, certain presidents and company owners were _mesmerized_ in order to prevent some mining companies from going too far and stumbling upon one of the Lower Elements chutes.

It was all a flimsy excuse to stretch the Chairman's control above ground as well as under it. This was one of the prime reasons Holly despised Cahartez.

Before the end of Cahartez's term however, strong rumors circulated about how the Cahartez Decree really aimed to take these companies' well-earned gold and stuff it into the Council's, and by extension the Chairman's, pockets.

Nothing was proven.

Upon Lope's rise to the Chairman seat he had immediately suspended the Cahartez Decree, but it was never nullified, meaning that there were still _mesmerized_ presidents and company owners running amuck aboveground, issuing nonsensical laws and decrees.

The Cahartez Decree list was one which contained names of those humans put under the _Mesmer. _The list contained over two hundred names.

"I have, Commander," said Foaly, as he moved across the room "He's not there, not even under another name. I have also checked pictures of him, both recent and dating back to a couple of years. From what I gather, this man had been put under for a year or so"

Commander Kelp lowered his head and shut his eyes, he was deep in thought. A moment later he looked up.

"Compile all locations of rogue fairies in the past two years," said Kelp, as he eyed Foaly moving around the room. "And cross-reference them with wherever this man has been in that time period"

Foaly stood at one of his mainframes and his fingers typed in the criteria given by the commander. He then moved on to another and typed another batch of commands.

"Negative on that one, Commander," said Foaly, as he continued galloping around the room, now holding a small computer, on which he would type when moving. "No rogue fairies ever came close to that man in the past two years"

Kelp raked his brains, but it was Holly who had came up with an idea, breaking her silence.

"Renegades!" she almost exclaimed "Check if any renegades came in contact with the man"

Renegades were Fairies which have abandoned the Underground life, choosing that of alcohol and lack of magic aboveground, instead. Recently, renegades were being rounded up by retrieval, as they were an obvious security risk, but there were still more than a hundred of them scattered around Europe.

Foaly paused and muttered "Why didn't I think of that!" He resumed typing into his handheld computer, while simultaneously looking at another screen on one of his mainframes.

"Got it!" exclaimed Foaly "There _is _a renegade who lives on one of the spires of St. Peter's Cathedral. A Cathedral which, you would be happy to know, Loki visits a lot. He's even being honored there today, about an hour form now"

"Good thinking, Captain" said the Commander.

"So I'm off the hook?!" asked Holly expectantly.

"No," said Kelp sourly "You're still spending a month underground"

"How did this man get _mesmerized _in the first place?" Holly asked, acting as if she did not hear Kelp "Does he climb up to that spire to pray or what?"

"He doesn't have to," said Foaly. "The renegade is a sprite"

"Still," said the commander "We need to know why that renegade is _mesmerizing _that man"

"Who cares, Trubs?" said Foaly "All we need to do now is to catch the renegade, you can leave the whys to me"

"You've got a point there, Foaly," said the Commander "And it's Commander Kelp to you, techie"

Foaly scowled, he must have crossed a line. _Techie?_

"Alright, then," said Kelp "We have a renegade to catch. Foaly, I want you to patch its coordinates to a pair of helmets. Captain Short and I are riding the first shuttle to Adelaide"

"Yes, sir Commander!"

Holly brightened.

"I _am _off the hook!" she said joyously.

"No" replied Kelp immediately, and the captain's face darkened.

"Worth a shot," she muttered.

A tiny rasp issued from the door. A tiny female pixie stood at the entrance.

"Umm, Commander Kelp, sir?" said the pixie, her voice low and tentative "Council Chairman Acheron Lope is in your office, sir. He requests that you meet him once you're finished with…once you're finished, sir"

Kelp raised a surprised eyebrow and dismissed the pixie.

"That means I have to go, now," said the commander. "Foaly, smooth out the wrinkles on this one with Holly, and start finding out why a renegade is _mesmerizing _corporate owners.

"When I'm back I want a shuttle ready to transport me and Captain Short to E59, Adelaide!"  
"You know, sir," said Holly "I can save you the trouble…err bother and do it myself"

"Like hell you will!" said Kelp while exiting "That is, I have to be on top of this"

Holly smiled, and then her face wrinkled in a frown.

She whipped out the communicator she used to stay in touch with Artemis and activated it.

Foaly saw her expression and pitied the boy genius.

* * *

**June 29****th****, the Red Dingo café, across from St. Peter's Cathedral, Adelaide **

Artemis sipped his Earl Grey tea as he read today's paper. His eyes scanned the news headlines for something interesting.

He winced slightly as a sharp rhythmic rasp interrupted his calm. He looked up and the unshaven Ryan King was boring holes into both Artemis and Juliet, his nails thumping on the wooden table of the café.

"Listen, Fowl," said King "You've said you'd help me and I'm pretty sure that didn't entail you drinking tea and reading the paper"

Artemis looked at him for a long time.

_Does not someone like King have the right to be told? _

_Does not he have the right to know that his expulsion from his own house and perhaps even the death of his father, were orchestrated by a species unknown by the humans for millennia? _Artemis wondered.

He frowned in irritation. This newly-developed conscious of his was pestering him more than anything.

Besides, if the People's secrets were unearthed to one more human, the Council would have him mind wiped for certain.

Artemis opened his mouth to respond when he felt a vibration coursing through the fingers of his right hand. A tiny staccato beeping followed.

"I'm sorry," said Artemis, rising from his seat "I have to take this" He placed his thumb to his ear and walked off towards the restrooms.

King's eyes bewilderedly followed him.

He looked around to his only companion. Juliet stared far off into the distance, muttering under her breath.

"So, what was that about?" asked Ryan, attempting a conversation "A call from home?"

Juliet did not even acknowledge him with a look, she simply continued her gazing.

"Hey, I'm talking here," he said and jabbed her in the shoulder.

Not very smart.

Her hands whipped out and wrenched his arm behind him, forcing his face into the table. She stood behind him and when she spoke, her voice was a venomous hiss.

"Next time you try that," said Juliet, ignoring the looks she received form the patrons "I'll German Suplex you so hard, you're ancestors are going to feel it"

She pushed him forward; his head collided with Artemis' cup of tea, spilling it over his matted hair.

He straightened groggily, wiping the combined mess of tea and dirt from his already grimy shirt.

* * *

"How come you never told me about this, first, Mud boy?" Holly's enraged voice reverberated in his ears. "I thought that was one of the reasons I've given you that communicator!"

"The flares were up," replied Artemis calmly, appraising the dark bags underneath his eyes in the bathroom mirror. "I was unable to establish a connection"

"Is lying some integral part of your genetic makeup, Fowl?" said Holly "Last time the flares were up, it was yesterday!"

"Of course," said Artemis "That was when I first found out about Loki"

"Holy Frond, Artemis!" exclaimed Holly "Yesterday! But that's…"

"Never mind that, now," interrupted the genius "That is beyond us. I understand, then, that my message was delivered. What did you make of Stevenson Loki?"

"Well," replied Holly, making a mental note to pursue the subject further another time "Foaly's currently handling the personal info. He says Hi, by the way.

"We have, however, discovered that Loki was _mesmerized _by a renegade living atop of St. Peter's Cathedral"

"I happen to be across the street from the Cathedral," said Artemis thoughtfully "A renegade. How interesting"

"Commander Trouble and I will be here shortly," said Holly "We're going to apprehend the renegade sprite and drag him back to Haven, where he'll, hopefully, spill his guts to us about this whole affair"

Artemis considered telling her about King's dilemma, but decided against it.

"Very well, captain," he said "Perhaps, I will see you, then"

* * *

**(AN: A German Suplex is a variation of a popular wrestling move known as the Suplex. Part 2 of Chapter 3 is already up. **


	4. Chapter 3, Part Two

_Disclaimer: The Artemis Fowl series and all related characters belong the awesome Eoin Colfer. _

_**Warning: This story may contain spoilers from Artemis Fowl books one through six.**_

**(AN: Part 2 of chapter 3. Enjoy!)**

* * *

**Chapter 3: A renegade on a cathedral**

**Part two.**

**St. Peter's Cathedral, Adelaide**

St. Peter's Cathedral was a 60 m long building with two symmetrical spires jutting from its sides.

Each spire ended in an intricate cross, and at the middle of each spire was a small ledge on which two miniature versions of the spires were erected.

Between the two spires was a triangle with another cross embedded on its upper vertex.

Commander Trouble Kelp and Captain Holly Short flew side by side as they approached the cathedral's left spire. Their wings fluttered in speeds which would have put a hummingbird to shame.

Trouble's fingers were rested upon his gun's holster, ready to draw the weapon at any moment, in spite of the fact they were vibrating at speeds undetectable by human and Fairy eyes alike.

Holly scanned the left spire, which was marked on her map as a red dot. The target.

"I have no visual on the renegade, Commander," said Holly into her helmet "You reckon the sprite made a run for it?"

Trouble chuckled and pointed at the triangle amidst the two towering spires.

"Heat signatures show a sprite sized creature bent behind that triangle," said Trouble "Unshielded, as expected. It's a good thing the cursed creature is out of sight.

"He's probably sipping out of a bottle of alcohol, but just to be safe, we'll converge on him from both sides. Holly, you'll engage from the right spire, I'll hit him from the left"

"Roger that, Commander" said Holly, as she smoothly banked towards the right, targeting the bent form of the sprite in her visor.

"Use only setting three bursts, we want him alive and as mentally capable as possible, Clear?"

"Crystal, Commander"

"Engage in three…two…Now!" barked Trouble as he squeezed the trigger to his Neutrino, and a beam of concentrated energy emitted from the nozzle of his handgun.

Holly followed suit and her own beam reached its mark, milliseconds after Kelp's.

But at the spot where the sprite was bent a moment ago, was now a smudge of scorched concrete.

"Holly, the triangular structure!" said a disembodied voice. Holly could have sworn it was coming form her own suit.

Holly looked at the triangle amidst the spires, and gasped as she saw the sprite standing above the tip of the cross, in its hands a gleaming weapon of sorts.

The renegade sprite aimed the weapon's gleaming nozzle at the left spire and fired. A golden beam of energy burst out of the weapon.

Holly almost snorted, the Commander was shielded, there was no way in hell the sprite's shot would make its mark.

But all her confidence simply disappeared as she saw the sprite's face. It was covered in a makeshift helmet and goggles. Anti-shield goggles.

"Commander!" It was all she could say as she watched the commander banking sharply to the side, but he was too late. The golden beam clipped the center of his left wing.

The wing lit up for a second, before it disintegrated completely.

_A Softnose!_

Commander Kelp spiraled in the air for a moment, his remaining wing fluttering helplessly. The commander's body hurtled into the cross atop the left spire. The cross wavered, but remained attached to the spire.

The commander held on by wrapping his arm around the cross' top.

"Commander, hold on," said Holly frantically as she worked her wings, she zoomed towards the left spire "I'm almost there!"

"No, Captain!" shouted Kelp into her ears "take down the renegade!"

Holly looked back at the sprite, who was already aiming his softnose at her.

She squeezed the Neutrino trigger, and a burst of energy blasted out of her hand gun.

The sprite swiftly became airborne and flew from the top of the triangle to the ledge at the middle of the left spire, below the hanging form of the Commander. Holly's shot missed him by a millisecond.

She cursed and flicked up the setting. _Mental capability be damned!_

She aimed in for another shot, when she saw a Neutrino handgun fall on top of the sprite's helmeted head.

The blow was not strong enough for the sprite to neither lose his footing nor become dazed, but it definitely got his attention.

The sprite looked up, only to find Commander Trouble Kelp descending upon him like a hawk, the commander's elbow collided with the sprite's head, causing the renegade to lose his footing _and _become disoriented.

The Softnose fell to the side, and the sprite fell back, with Commander Kelp holding him in a tight headlock.

Holly let out a breath she was unaware she was holding.

Her heart rate had skyrocketed and was now slowly restoring itself to its normal pace.

* * *

**The Red Dingo café, across St. Peter's Cathedral, Adelaide**

Artemis Fowl stood at the entrance to the Red Dingo café. His eyes were watching the top of St. Peter's Cathedral intently.

Nothing happened for a moment.

Then, there was the almost inaudible hiss of a Neutrino handgun, and two flashes of light could be seen emanating from the left and right spires of the cathedral consecutively.

The beams of light zoomed in towards the triangular construction between the two spires.

_They must have him stunned, already _thought Artemis.

He almost gasped, however, when he saw a small creature with blotchy green skin alight atop the cross on the triangular construction. The creature held a weapon in his hand and was aiming at the left spire.

Artemis quickly put his thumb to his ear and activated his fairy communicator.

"Holly, the triangular structure!" he shouted into his communicator, the patrons shot him questioning looks.

He was not even sure if Holly heard him or not.

Artemis watched as another flash of light, this one seemed to be yellow and was accompanied with a more guttural sound, zoomed in towards the left spire.

He saw a very apparent disturbance in the air at the left spire, and the cross atop it shook to some extent. One of them was hit, though Artemis was unable to tell who.

Another Neutrino burst followed, and a subtle thud was heard, before silence. The battle was over, but it was impossible to know who prevailed.

Artemis activated his fairy communicator once more.

"Holly! Holly, come in," spoke Artemis into the communicator, but no reply came.

His heart beats went insane with worry. The rate of his breathing followed suit.

Nevertheless, life and Butler have taught him that by letting your emotions get the better of you, you let your adversaries get the better of you.

He calmed himself with a mantra Butler had taught him once.

He extricated the set of goggles he removed from one of the LEP helmets captured by Butler all these years ago from within his breast pocket.

He hastily put them on and manipulated the dials to zoom in on the left spire. He switched another dial, activating anti-shield vision.

He let out a sigh of relief as he saw Commander Kelp shackle the sprite with the mottled green skin, with Holly hovering a few feet away from them, her Neutrino pointed at the renegade.

He raised his thumb to his ear once more and said "Mission accomplished, I take it?"

He saw Holly fidget around before smiling and imitating Artemis.

"Yes," said Holly "Though I'm apparently going to carry two passengers on my Moonbelt, one of the commander's wings is busted…well, gone actually. Where's Butler?"

"He had to accompany my parents to Sicily. Juliet's here, though"

"Tell her I said Hi," said Holly "We need to get going, though"

"Wait!" said Artemis "I happen to have a couple of LEP wings in the hotel room. They're an old model, but they will surely save you the trouble of carrying two grown passengers"

"Do you carry LEP equipment across country for kicks, Mud boy?" said Holly cynically, and he could feel her rolling her eyes "Hang on, I'll ask the commander"

There was a pause.

"He agreed," said Holly "Says how camfoil-covered, moonbelt-carried fairies are always a security breach. I'm more inclined to think he doesn't want to enter Haven strapped to his underling's belt"

"Watch it, Short!" Artemis could hear Kelp bark.

He smiled.

"Very well, Captain," said Fowl, and he told her the hotel's name, room number and that they are to meet in fifteen minutes.

Artemis turned around, only to bump head first into Ryan King.

"What was that about?" asked King, his eye sending daggers at the boy genius.

"That was my mother," replied Artemis coldly "She inquires about my health"

"Is that so? And do you always refer to your mother as 'captain'?" asked Ryan mockingly, then his tone became serious "You were talking to someone, and I'm willing to bet they were hiding behind that window at the top of the cathedral"

Artemis looked behind and saw the window King spoke of, it was a likely guess as any.

"Really? What makes you think so?"  
"I saw the lights, Fowl," said King, his fists clenching "I saw the small man atop the cross. You can't keep me in the dark here.

"You were talking to someone in there and those funny glasses of yours have something to do with it"

Artemis raised any eyebrow; he quickly removed the goggles and stuffed them into his jacket pocket. He was becoming too careless.

"I'm sure as hell you didn't come here to drink sodden Earl Grey tea nor to watch Stevenson Loki come in _my father's _limousine with _my father's_ bodyguards flanking him," continued King, seething "You came here for a reason.

"When I first called you. You found something. That's what mad you come here"

"What do you want, King?" asked Artemis quietly.

"The Truth! What did you find out about Loki? About my father?"

"I cannot tell you that, Ryan," replied Artemis softly "I really cannot"

"How dare you?" cried King "That's my life you're playing around with, Fowl! I come asking for help and I get this? Half-lies and rubbish?

"Whatever few friends I had don't recognize me anymore! I have no family and no records of who I really am"

Artemis didn't reply. He was torn.

"I want the truth, Fowl," hissed King, moving one step closer.

Artemis sighed.

"Very well, Ryan," said Artemis "Loki's ascension to power in King Gold Corporation was an orchestrated plan, organized by an intelligent species hidden from human eyes for millennia.

"I believe that the deletion of your records and Loki's subsequent rise to power by a certified will from your father was made all the easier due to that species' control over magic."

King looked at him for along moment, his face a mask.

"So that's it?" said King, his head tilted to the side, madness burned in his eyes "You're mocking me. Look at me!" Ryan pointed to his misshapen and filthy white shirt "I've been through more pain in these past four days than you or your manicured nails and Armani suit will ever experience.

"You don't know what it feels like to look into the eyes of your friend of ten years, only to be met by those of a stranger."

Artemis did not honestly find anything to say. Telling the truth about the People might very well mean he would lose them.

Yet, he somehow felt he was indebted to Ryan King. Ryan deserved the truth, yet, the truth was out of his reach.

"Forget it," sighed King, and he walked past Artemis, into the busy street.

"Ryan, wait!" Artemis cried as he slipped a small envelope into King's hand "Take this and know that I am working on this. You'll have your father's company back, I promise you"

Ryan's blazing eyes met those of Artemis. He nodded stiffly and stuffed the envelope into his back pocket. Perhaps, it was the sincerity in Artemis' tone or eyes, but King believed him.

He walked away.

The envelope contained a little over two thousand Euros, a sum which should provide him with decent food and a palce to spend the night.

Artemis sighed.

Juliet joined him a moment later, sipping coffee from a plastic cup.

"Where's King?" she inquired, barely interested.

"He left," replied Artemis quietly "Holly and her commander are meeting us in our hotel room, it's time we leave"

"Let's get going, then" said Juliet, as she walked towards their rented SUV.

Artemis followed, his eyes scanning the cathedral's entrance. He paused.

A tall man with shoulder length black hair and a hooked nose stared at him from across the street. He was flanked by two muscular men, with big bulges in their jackets.

Stevenson Loki stared at Artemis with interest. Artemis glared back.

The man craned his head to the side as if listening for something, before hiding into his stretch limousine.

Or rather, the Kings' stretch limousine.

* * *

(**AN: Although I hate pestering readers for reviews, I just need a couple here and there to know people are actually reading this and to make sure they like it as it progresses)**


	5. Chapter 4

**(AN: Thanks to everyone who reviewed so far and thanks to those who read this story. New chapter up! Enjoy!)**

_Disclaimer: The Artemis Fowl series and all related characters belong the awesome Eoin Colfer. _

_**Warning: This story may contain spoilers from Artemis Fowl books one through six.**_

* * *

**Chapter 4: Outside Help**

* * *

Artemis examined the mottled green arm on the bed before him. The arm belonged to the renegade sprite captured by Commander Kelp and Holly.

The sprite was put under sedation heavy enough to have him unconscious for over five hours, sufficient time for transport to Haven's own Police Plaza.

They were in Artemis' hotel suite. Commander Kelp had strapped on the pair of old mechanical wings Artemis brought with him and was conversing animatedly with Holly.

Artemis had always thought it prudent that he always have anti-shield goggles, an LEP helmet and a varied set of LEP gear including a pair of wings, all captured by Butler in the Fowl Manor siege, with him wherever he went.

That habit became useful in such an event, in spite of its high improbability, that an LEP Commander loses his own wings in a firefight, which just so happened to take place across the street from Fowl's whereabouts.

Artemis pressed his finger into the creature's bicep and was surprised to find it taut.

His eyes narrowed.

He then gingerly removed the makeshift helmet, which had suffered a deep dent in the side, and goggles from the renegade's head.

The sprite had a narrow withered face, which was so thin the bones of its skull were identifiable, and pale white hair, which was draped on the bed sheet beneath him like a halo. The sprite's skin looked like melt putty.

Artemis could have sworn he saw tiny magical sparks dancing across a bluish bruise on the fairy's upper temple. He looked harder, but there was no hint of a bruise, just that of unblemished, perfect skin.

Too perfect skin.

He reached into one of his bags and pulled out a small black case, which he zipped open to reveal two rows of equipment ranging from medical scalpels and scissors to rougher tools such as a couple of screwdrivers and an intricate pocket knife.

He extracted one of the scalpels and approached it to the sprite's inner wrist. He placed the tip on the green skin and slowly pulled his hand backwards.

A red line traced the scalpel's path.

By then, Holly and the Commander's eyes were watching him intently.

"What are you doing, Mud boy?" said Holly coming over to stand by his side.

Artemis did not reply. His eyes were set on the wound he had inflicted.

Instantaneously, blue sparks flushed the small wound. It disappeared in a fraction of a second, as if it was never there.

Artemis raised an eyebrow. The healing had taken barely a second.

"Holly, can you check this sprite's magic reserves?" requested Artemis quietly.

Commander Trouble Kelp snorted.

"Come on, Fowl," said Kelp "You know as well as we do, renegades have just about enough magic to heal warts and scratches, it's obvious this one is no different".

"Indulge me, Commander," said Artemis, returning his sights to the sprite's gaunt visage "Holly?"

Holly looked at her Commander. Trouble Kelp looked disinclined, but nodded eventually.

She looked down at the sprite and clamped her hands on both sides of his head. She then cautiously brought her forehead to that of the sprite, pressing it briefly against the creature's brow.

A couple of seconds later, she withdrew. She looked up at Artemis, her expression that of pure surprise.

Artemis did not need to ask her what she found out. Her expression confirmed his suspicions.

Trouble looked back and forth between them.

"Well?" asked the Commander "What did you find, Captain?"

"This sprite, sir, is almost full to the brim with magic," said the captain.

"How in Frond's name is that possible?" questioned Kelp, his face contorted in an ugly frown. "Renegades don't…can't have magic. The alcohol feeds on their magic…right?" He asked uncertainly, looking at Artemis for confirmation.

Artemis did not reply, but, rather removed a small flashlight from within his black case. He pulled apart the creature's eyelids and focused the light on his eye.

Artemis' forehead creased considerably.

"Explain, Fowl!" barked Trouble "How is it possible that this renegade has his this much magic?"

Artemis did not answer, but looked up at Holly instead.

"Is Foaly listening?" he asked.

"I'm here, Mudboy," emanated Foaly's voice from both the commander and Holly's helmets. "Not that I like what I'm hearing"

"Foaly, for how long has this sprite been living on the Cathedral?"

A brief typing could be heard.

"The renegade's been there ever since 1905," said Foaly "and it is confirmed that he has been smuggling some of the wine from the cathedral and the café across the street, if your next question is whether I'm sure he's been drinking or not"

Artemis started to circle the bed on which the sprite was laid. When he spoke, it was as if he was giving a lecture to a room full of occupants.

"It is confirmed then, that this renegade was off the wagon for a century or so," said Artemis, counting off on his fingers as he listed "His physical traits certainly support that fact. The emaciated face, premature wrinkles, and the colorless fragile hair.

"As the magic in a fairy's body fades due to consumption of alcohol, a fairy's physical strength also recedes. The body muscles slacken, shrink to some extent and become much weaker. A sprite, for example, will have much difficulty moving its wings and will barely be able to induce a fleeting twitch in them."

He paused for a moment, stressing the importance of his next statement.

"This renegade sprite, in spite of the confirmation that he has been consuming alcohol, has shown exceptional muscle tone, even for a healthy one. As you've relayed to me, he was able to maneuver himself, using his wings, in order to dodge many of your blasts. Thus, this sprite shows mental clarity and physical ability uncommon for one who was ingesting alcohol for decades.

"There is only one explanation for such a phenomenon. This renegade has been treated with a potion, one that consists of a virus which feeds on alcohol, and a growth reagent. It is, in short, a magic booster"

He failed to reveal that the person standing before them was the very one who concocted the potion.

Holly and the commander were looking at the renegade sprite lying on the bed.

"This renegade got outside help?" asked the commander "helping renegades is forbidden by the Book!"

"But," Holly pointed out, looking at the commander "wasn't retrieval rounding up renegades recently?"

"Yes, but," replied the commander "even then, they're placed in an isolated building, courtesy of Council Chairman Acheron Lope"

"Well, I wouldn't say it was outside help as much as subjugation," said Artemis "You see, there is one other detail here which adds to this situation's increasing bizarreness. Another variable, if you wish"

He paused and, once again, extricated the tiny flashlight.

"Well?" asked the commander "What is it, Fowl?"

Artemis pushed open one of the sprite's eyes, he focused the beam of light on it.

"_Mesmerized_" said Artemis.

The captain and commander lowered the heads to peer into the sprite's open eye.

Indeed, the edges of the retina were frayed.

"Mesmerizing another Fairy is very difficult business," protested Kelp "let alone explicitly prohibited by the Book!"

Artemis kept quiet.

"It's a renegade, commander," said Holly softly "and we know renegades could have the lucidness of a stinkworm on their best day"

"This spells disaster in more ways than one!" exclaimed Kelp "unauthorized contact with the humans. A mesmerized Fairy renegade who not only has restored mental and physical health, but also carrying around a softnose laser!

"All on my watch! The council will have my triple acorns for certain!"

The commander paused.

"Foaly," said Kelp "first things first. Holly and I are bringing in the renegade for interrogation, mind scanning and Retimaging. So, get those gadgets of yours ready.

"Then, I want to know what you've found out on Stevenson Loki. You did research the man?"

Foaly paused. A quick batch of typing was heard.

"Yes, I have, commander," said Foaly. "This Loki person had been lying low for quite sometime. Nothing fishy about him, you know, clean record unless you count a few speeding tickets.

"For the past two years he had worked in King Gold Corporation, although, in his first year he has been in some small time job as an undersecretary. Come next year, and that's by the time I reckon he first became _mesmerized_, he was climbing the career ladder faster than a tunneling dwarf with an open bum-flap. Next thing you know, he's the Kings' personal advisor"

"Whoever _mesmerized _this guy wanted him high in the chain of command," reasoned Holly "I didn't know fairies where walking aboveground giving humans better career opportunities"

"I'm almost certain that, whoever _mesmerized_ this man was the same fairy that put the renegade under," said Foaly "and given the sprite a softnose, for that matter"

"But why the sprite?" asked the commander "to take me and Holly out? There's no way whoever did this knew about us coming, it was an on-the-spot decision"

"It is possible, but highly unlikely," said Artemis, speaking for the first time in the last couple of minutes "I'm more inclined to think, however, that the presence of the renegade sprite on a cathedral frequented by Loki was a lucky coincidence, which our adversary has employed as a decoy, to peel our eyes away from their real objective, which we are unaware of"

"Is there anything else Foaly?" asked the commander.

"Yes, as a matter of fact," said the centaur "the human press says that Thomas King, the deceased childless owner of King Gold Corporation, who had died of blood cancer, had willed Loki the business, along with any property owned by the Kings.

"But, in my database, King _has_ a child, a Ryan T. King. Who is supposed to be sixteen, by my count. The boy's records, however, in every social agency in Australia, were wiped clean using a programmed virus. Really high tech stuff, for humans, that is. The virus targets all documents with the target's name on them and _poof_ they're gone, as if he never existed!"

"The virus is fairymade?" inquired Holly.  
"No doubt about it," said Foaly "human computer viruses are to this thing, what the wheel is to subsonic shuttles"

"Why Loki, then?" asked the commander "if whoever was behind this wanted control over the business, why not _mesmerize_ the kid? His father was a goner, wasn't he? The boy would inherit the company, right?"

"Indeed, commander," said Artemis "but you are forgetting the fact that Ryan King is underage, so legally, he has no control whatsoever on the business"

The commander's brow creased.

"In any case," said the commander "this sprite needs to be brought down to Police Plaza for questioning. That's what we'll do.

"In the meantime, I'll try approaching the Council for permission to snatch this Loki person and wring some truth out of him," said the commander crossly "If it weren't for the damn Mud man Bill of Rights issued by the Council, Loki would have been at the end of my Neutrino. Captain, strap in the renegade"

Holly moved quickly, extracting a sheet of camfoil from her belt and wrapping the sprite carefully, until it was no longer visible. She then used two clamps to shut the cam foil at both ends and strapped each of the clamps to her and the Commander's moonbelts respectively.

Both their wings were activated and they started fluttering quietly. Although the pair on the commander's back were issuing a grating mechanical sound.

"I'll advise you that you stay here in Australia, Fowl," said the commander "we might need you on this one"

"Of course, commander"

"I'll see you, Arty," said Holly, before she and the commander flew out through the wide open window,

* * *

**Haven City**

A towering building cast an unwelcome shadow on Spud's Spud Emporium. The building was rather shaped like a long cylinder, and was painted sand yellow. The quarter top of the cylinder was still unfinished.

At the exact middle of the cylindrical building was a large metal board. On the board, inscribed in Gnommish, was: The Haven City Institute for Geological Study of Aboveground Rocks.

The Institute was another one of Council Chairman Acheron Lope's bright ideas. It aimed, he said, to further our knowledge of the changes taking place aboveground and provide more career opportunities for Haven citizens.

Commander Trouble Kelp and Captain Holly Short were just escorting a woozy renegade sprite into Police Plaza, when a loud commotion was heard behind them.

A half dozen were dwarves standing near six covered hovertrolleys were arguing vehemently with a group of goblins. The heat form their dispute could be felt in the air, and soon enough that of the goblin fireballs if someone did not intervene.

A couple of LEPtraffic officers were already trying to calm down the quarrel, but were so far unsuccessful.

The commander let go of the renegade sprite, which was drooling absentmindedly, and went over to the dwarves.

"What is going on here?" drawled the commander, his fingers drumming a tattoo on the handle of his Neutrino threateningly.

"Those goblins are insulting the Magical Bum-flaps!" said one of the dwarves, a stocky individual with a spiral-like tattoo on the side of his head.

"Magical Bum-flaps?" asked Trouble incredulously .

The dwarf puffed out his chest in pride.

"The most respected dwarf tribe in Haven City," said the dwarf proudly "and those goblins were making fun of our name"

"They're fine ones to talk," yelled out another dwarf "I've never heard of a gang called Lidless Eyes before"

One of the goblins produced a fireball and started menacingly twirling it between his fingers. The other goblins followed suit.

"Hey!" said Kelp "You! Turn those off or I'll have you all locked up for a fortnight!"

The goblins reluctantly extinguished their fireballs.

"Now break it up!" barked the commander "before I singe your behinds with this gun!"

The goblins scattered away, hissing insults at the dwarves.

The dwarves tended back to the hovertrolleys, which they moved using a remote control.

"Wait," said the commander "what's in those trolleys?"

"That's…err…rocks, sir," said one of the dwarves "from aboveground. You know, for the Haven City Institute of Gynecological study of Aboveground Rocks. We have permission from the Head of Institution himself." The dwarf then pushed an official document on a palmtop into the commander's face.

Trouble snorted at the dwarf's mistake, but gestured for them to move along.

_Still under construction and already pulling in rocks from the surface _thought the commander _pointless, really, the gold wasted into this huge building should have been used to renovate Police Plaza. That roof almost fell on one of my officers, for Frond's sake!_

* * *

_Meanwhile in Artemis' hotel suite…_

Artemis read the newspaper article for what must have been the fifth time. He had stumbled upon it when he was scanning the paper, back at the Red Dingo café, for something interesting. He found it.

**Five Tons of Gold Disappear Under KGC's New Owner's Nose**

Lemont Mining Co. Head* Expresses Outrage

Artemis frowned. He withdrew the information from Ryan King, but the young King would surely find out by now.

A rough knock sounded on the door to Artemis' room.

"Enter," said the young genius "It's open"

The door was none too casually pushed back.

"Ah, Butler," said Artemis "You're here early"

* * *

* Lemont Mining Co. is the other 50/50 owner of the Super Pit.

* * *


	6. Chapter 5

**(AN: Really sorry for that delay, I had to straighten some plot wrinkles. Note: This chapter was updated a couple of hours after it was posted, nothing major just the title and the bit at the end. Enjoy!)**

_Disclaimer: The Artemis Fowl series and all related characters belong the awesome Eoin Colfer. _

**_Warning: This story may contain spoilers from Artemis Fowl books one through six._**

* * *

**Chapter 5: Bad News**

* * *

**Commander Trouble Kelp's Ofiice, Police Plaza, Haven City**

Commander Trouble Kelp was attempting to catch a few minutes of slumber in his high-backed office chair, when he was interrupted by the galloping steps of Foaly the centaur barging into his office.

The centaur was holding a large stack of papers.

"Bad news, Trouble," said Foaly, disregarding protocol.

The commander straightened in his comfortable chair and rubbed his red-rimmed eyes. He had not had a decent hour of sleep for over five days now.

"What it is it, Foaly?" asked Kelp, irritated "You got something from the Retimager?"

About an hour ago, the commander had brought the renegade sprite to Foaly for Retimaging and mind scanning.

The mind scanner came up blank. Not surprising, really. Whoever _mesmerized _the sprite had wiped his mind blanker than a sheet.

The Retimager was still analyzing and cross-referencing.

"No, I'm still working on it though," said Foaly, ruffling through the stack of paper held in his hairy hands "I've ran the renegade's softnose's serial number through my database"

"You got a match?"

"I did," said the centaur "that particular softnose laser was licensed for a private collection"

"Whose private collection?" inquired the commander.

Foaly looked at the papers once more; he did not reply immediately.

"Abraxas Cahartez's" said the centaur finally.

Trouble Kelp's mouth almost dropped in shock.

The commander stood and raised a hand.

"As in," he said slowly "_former Council Chairman_Abraxas Cahartez? One of the most decorated Chairmen to ever lead The People?"

"That's the one"

Trouble collapsed into his high-backed commander's chair.

"Was it reported stolen?" asked the commander.

"Nope"

"This is bad," whispered Kelp, shutting his eyes.

"You can say that again," said a disgruntled Holly Short. She had just entered the office; her face was slicked with perspiration. Apparently, she came here running.

The elfin captain slapped a palmtop onto the commander's desk.

"Recon and Retrieval reports," said the captain, a frown twisting her pretty face "this is about the rogue dwarves in Kalgoorlie-Boulder, Australia"

"What now?" asked the commander, silently praying it was not _too _bad.

"LEPRetrieval just raided a tunnel close to E54," said the captain "They'vecaptured five dwarves and about two hundred thousand Euros worth of stolen property, but…"

"But what?" the commander was almost shouting.

"Hey, wait a minute," said Foaly, puzzled "five dwarves? My systems detected nothing short of fifteen dwarves, and my systems are never wrong!"

"Well," said Holly "that's the thing. The remaining ten dwarves have been remotely incinerated. LEP issue remote incineration packs.

"Retrieval barely managed to separate those five from their packs, just before they went _poof_"

Trouble Kelp slumped in his chair.

"What is this supposed to mean?" asked Foaly "obviously not dwarf tribal action, dwarves are…"

"Enough of that now," said the commander, cutting Foaly train of thought "this is the least of my concerns right now.

"We need those Retimaging results, how come it's taking so long, Foaly? No, I don't want to hear it" the commander said, blocking Foaly's attempt at an excuse "I need to know for sure if it's Cahartez, before I take him into custody"

"Commander Kelp?" inquired a tiny female pixie standing at the doorway "Council Chairman Lope wishes to meet with you, sir"

The commander straightened in his seat immediately.

"Why hasn't he come in, already?" asked the commander.

"Actually, he's in Ops booth, sir," said the pixie "seeing as to how last time you were there…shall I ask him to come here?"  
"No, what are you? Crazy?" shouted the commander already rising from his seat "I'm going"

Foaly walked with him towards the door.

"Where are _you_ going?" asked the commander.

"It's my booth!" replied Foaly indignantly.

Holly Short followed them, shaking her head.

"What _did _the Chairman want last time?" asked Holly "you know, when he met you in his office?"

"Oh, that," replied the commander "the Chairman was only asking for a few aboveground passes. For him and his family, you know"

"Aboveground passes," muttered Foaly "Preposterous! Those passes are for emergencies not for the aboveground amusement of the Chairman's children"

"Last time I checked, Foaly," said Trouble "weren't you the one whining about getting a couple for yourself and Caballine?"

That shut the centaur up.

* * *

**Ops Booth**

Council Chairman Acheron Lope was staring, entranced, at one of the screens in Ops Booth. The screen showed a variety of numbers, percentages and pictures.

"That's some very complicated equipment you've got there, Foaly," said the Council Chairman, reading from the screen "Retimager, eh? What does that do, pray tell?"

Foaly was just about to deliver one of his lectures when a loud beep was heard. Foaly galloped to the Retimager screen and read the results.

"The Retimager found a possible match, commander," said Foaly "with matches bordering the thousands!"

"Well, who is it, Foaly?" asked the commander.

"It's Cahartez, sir"

"Foaly are you sure?" asked Holly, looking at the results screen.

"You can read it for yourself, captain," said Foaly, abandoning the results screen "Cahartez gave the sprite that softnose, no doubt about it"

"Abraxas Cahartez, you say?" asked the Chairman, adjusting his Chairman's conical hat "my predecessor came in contact with a renegade?"

"How did you know the sprite's a renegade?" questioned Holly suspiciously.

She blanched when she realized she was questioning the most powerful man in Haven city.

The Chairman's face reddened considerably.

"What kind of a question is that, Short?" barked Kelp "the Council Chairman knows, because I told him when we convened before our Retrieval mission!"

Holly muttered a few apologies, which the Council Chairman waved away goodheartedly. He exhaled.

"It's alright, captain," he said softly "I'd rather you were vigilant to a fault than none at all, eh?"

"Abraxas Cahartez is in Atlantis, commander," said Foaly breaking the tension by changing the subject "he's giving some seminar or another about the importance of gold in the life of a fairy"

"Foaly, get me the finest underwater shuttle in Haven," ordered the commander "I want LepRetrieval team number one on the ready in twenty minutes. I'm spearheading this one!

"Make contact with Atlantis' regional Commander, and brief him on the situation. We're taking Cahartez in for Contact with a Renegade and Supplying a Renegade with outlawed weaponry"

"Yessir, commander!"

Trouble Kelp turned around to the Chairman.

"You required something, Council Chairman?" asked the commander.

"What? Me? Oh yes, indeed," said the Chairman fidgeting with his conical hat "I merely wished to thank you for those aboveground passes"

Behind him Foaly issued a cough which rather sounded like "_dwarf manure_".

Commander Trouble raised a slight eyebrow.

"Yes, well," said the Chairman "better get going then"

Once the Council Chairman was out of the room and out of earshot, Captain Holly Short pulled her commander around to face her.

A move she would have been demoted for, if it was not for Kelp being occupied with the upcoming mission.

"Commander," said the elfin Captain "I want to go!"

"Go where, Holly?" said Trouble "to Atlantis? This is ridiculous, Holly, you're LEP Reconnaissance, for Frond's sake!"

"Trouble," pleaded Holly.

"This mission is out of your expertise and jurisdiction! Your recon training…"

He paused.

"No, Holly," he said softly "and that's final!"

Holly frowned.

"Besides, you're grounded, remember?" said the commander attempting a smile.

When his Captain did not return it, he scowled and headed out of the room.

"I want that underwater shuttle, Foaly," he said "twenty minutes!"

Foaly patted Holly's back and headed to one of his computer banks.

"So, what do you think this thing's about?" asked the captain, standing beside the busy centaur.

"What thing, Holly?" Foaly was shifting his eyes from two screens back and forth "the commander not taking you with him on the mission?"

"No," said Holly, rolling her eyes "Cahartez running around aboveground _mesmerizing _renegades and handing them softnoses?"

"Like Artemis said," replied Foaly "the renegade sprite was a ruse. Cahartez's real aim is wealth improvement"

"Wealth improvement?" asked the captain, raising an eyebrow.

A Mudman newspaper headline appeared on one of the screens Foaly stood at.

"Read the news, Holly," said the centaur cryptically.

"Five Tons of Gold Disappear Under KGC's New Owner's Nose," read the elfin captain "what does this have to do with Cahartez?"

Foaly snorted and immediately acquired the role of unappreciated genius theorizer.

"KGC is the company recently owned by Stevenson Loki," said Foaly "the _mesmerized _Mud Man, who was at the root of this whole deal. Now I believe Cahartez _mesmerized _the human and had him climb the career ladder till he was practically on top of everything.

"Then, the good old former Chairman would drain off the company's' gold into his pocket till that Super Pit becomes an empty one"

"I'm also wiling to bet that," continued Foaly "If a certain genius centaur hacked into Cahartez's financial account, he'd find it has inexplicably increased by" Foalylooked at the human news headline "five tons of gold"  
Holly smiled.

"You're doing it, now?" asked the captain.

Foaly snickered and pointed at the screen.

He had the Chiron Bank site on. A bank known for holding the most famous of The People's gold.

* * *

_Meanwhile in Artemis Fowl's hotel suite…_

Artemis watched as his lifelong bodyguard and friend extricated many things from within his briefcase. Many sharp lethal things.

The giant Eurasian removed his Sig Saur from within a secret pocket in the case and inserted it into his shoulder holster. He then straightened and attached a few motion sensors on the suite's windows and door.

"Juliet is in position," said the manservant "she followed King into a five star hotel about an hour ago"

"Good," said Artemis "I expect she'll stop him in case he tries anything irrational?"

"She will"

"I'm afraid I'm not sure what type of reaction will be induced by this 'gold disappearing' business in King. A bad one by all means."

Butler did not reply, he was looking at Artemis, appraising him.

"Something wrong, old friend?" asked the Fowl genius.

"They're worried, Artemis," said the manservant "your parents, especially your mother"

"I take it that you've told her, then"

"I had to, Artemis," said Butler "she already knew too much about The People, it was only clear that this venture concerned them as well. I had to tell her that the secrecy of their existence is at risk and that you had to act immediately"

Artemis opened his mouth to ask, but Butler already knew what question would come.

"She's very proud," said the Eurasian gently "very pleased that you're devoting your talents to such a selfless act, or so she says"

The manservant smiled and so did his charge.

"It should all be over soon, anyways," said the young Fowl "Holly called a minute ago and she says Commander Kelp is leading a top Retrieval team to arrest whoever is behind this whole plot"

He had no idea how mistaken he was.

* * *

**Under the Atlantic Ocean**

Commander Trouble Kelp and six other LEPRetrieval captains and majors were crammed in a tiny space aboard a wobbly underwater shuttle. The craft's outdated engines issued a continuously sputtering roar.

Commander Kelp was impatiently tapping his fingers on the barrel of his Neutrino.

"I tell him to get the finest underwater shuttle and I get this dungheap," muttered the commander.

The craft jostled aggressively for a moment, then settled. This has caused one of the clumsier captains to fall out of his seat.

"Get up, O'varc, You're embarrassing yourself," said the commander.

"Sorry abou' that," issued the muffled voice of their pilot "Jus' a couple o' wa'er currents"

"Are we there yet?" asked the commander.

"Almost there," replied the pilot "almost there...about a hundred miles to go"

Six LEPRetrieval captains and majors and their commander groaned in unison, as another strong current flipped the underwater shuttle upside down.

This was going to be a long trip.

* * *

**(AN: Again, I'm sorry for the 8 day delay. Next chapter: The Retrieval team will pick up Cahartez from Atlantis)**


	7. Chapter 6

_**(AN: My longest chapter yet! Sorry about the last one, it was a mess, only because I tried to get it up ASAP! Enjoy!)**_

_Disclaimer: The Artemis Fowl series and all related characters belong to the great Eoin Colfer. _

_**Warning: This story may contain spoilers from Artemis Fowl books one through six.**_

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 6: Cahartez Goes Down**

**

* * *

**

**Atlantis, under the Atlantic Ocean.**

The underwater city of Atlantis stretched over five hundred square kilometers of magically-leveled earth. The entire metropolis was under a gigantic dome.

The dome was made of a material crafted by the ancient warlocks from the Frond dynasty. A material so saturated with magic, it is actually opaque on the outside and transparent on the inside.

So that if an outsider were to look upon the dome all they would see would be the Atlantic Ocean's ocean floor. Although the city is so deep under the Ocean, it is nigh impossible for any Mudman craft to reach it before it explodes under the sheer pressure.

To this day, this mysterious substance remains as transparent and waterproof as it was the day the warlocks laid its spells.

The center of the city was dominated by a large square, in which the Fairy residents of Atlantis have grown a wide variety of plants. Everything from tiny clusters of flowers to towering trees thrived in that square.

The plant-laden plaza was reminiscent of the life aboveground and was also a reproduction of the original aboveground Atlantis' Garden of the Kings.

This replica of the Garden of the Kings was also known for the millennium old Asclepius tree, a tree whose seeds were planted by Frond himself once the Fairy People have settled under the magical dome of Atlantis.

The Asclepius tree was well-known for its exceptional healing powers. Pilgrims from all over the Fairy society come to Atlantis and kneel by the one thousand year old tree asking deliverance from ailments which cannot be treated with Fairy magic alone.

Many a Fairy were said to have recovered from hopeless diseases just after an hour or so of laying a hand on the giant tree and asking for cure.

This was a prime reason black market traders would cut off small parts of the tree and sell them off as miraculous cures. An act which was quickly outlawed centuries ago.

A few cases of Spelltropy were even rumored to have been cured by the tree, but the Council denied it at the time, citing the fact that Spelltropy was a disease rooted in magic and so cannot be cured by magic, no matter how strong the healing magic was.

Still, that did not dissuade hordes of Spelltropy-infected Fairies from traveling to Atlantis and imploring the tree for a cure, causing a considerable increase in Spelltropy cases.

Nonetheless, if there was anything more frequented under the world than the Asclepius tree (save for Spud's Spud Emporium), it had yet to be made.

That was the main reason Abraxas Cahartez chose the tree's location for giving his seminar.

It would guarantee him plenty of audience who would actually listen to seminar, granted that nothing interesting really happened around the tree, except for the occasional outburst of "I'm healed! I'm healed! Thank the gods!", only for the speaker to realize that what they took for heavenly magical cure was actually just another bout of flatulence trying to escape their bowels.

The former Council Chairman had some of his Council member friends pull some very influential strings. This has enabled him to place a podium in front of the Asclepius tree, and the audio and video gear needed for him to ensure his point made it to his audience.

He swiftly exited his amphibious shuttle (parked close to the Asclepius tree) and made his way to the podium, looking at the notes in his palmtop all the while.

Abraxas Cahartez was the exact physical opposite of his successor, Acheron Lope. While the latter was a short and stout gnome and looked very ridiculous in a position of command, Cahartez was a tall and lean elf with the serious stance for one in command. His shaggy mane of grey hair was often smoothed by many expensive conditioners.

Cahartez had an extravagant sense of fashion and wore iridescent crimson robes which were said to be modeled after a pair of Frond's royal robes, precious stones and all.

He stepped up onto the podium and observed the square. Fairy eyes were now fixed upon him. He smiled charismatically and begun his speech with a famous Frond quote.

"Thy gold is thy life." He said, smiling endearingly.

* * *

**Underground shuttle port, Atlantis**

Access to the city of Atlantis from the outside was made impossible due to the gigantic impermeable dome covering the underwater metropolis.

Many have tried constructing entry and exit portals in the dome, but were unsuccessful. It appears that the dome's material is far stronger than anything they have ever encountered.

Therefore, underground tunnels had to be excavated in order for shuttles to enter or exit Atlantis.

It was through one of these tunnels that Commander Trouble Kelp's underwater shuttle managed to enter the city of Atlantis.

The commander exited the tiny underwater shuttle, his handpicked retrieval team bustling out of it behind him.

They were greeted by an old muscular water sprite with more scars on his face than they had on their collective bodies. He had large bat-like wings and a weathered tri-barreled blaster strapped to his hip.

"Commander Kelp," said the water sprite, his voice low and deep "welcome to Atlantis, is this is your first time in our beloved city?"

"Oh, I've been here before, Commander Eniram," replied Kelp "you got the word from Foaly?"

"I have," said Eniram, as he lead the commander and the retrieval team up a flight of escalators "most unsettling, I've always liked Cahartez"

Commander Eniram led them up to the surface. Trouble Kelp was once again surprised at how much Atlantis was similar to Haven City, save for the transparent dome above, which showed a dazzling scene of aquatic life.

The same magnastrips lined the busy streets, and the familiar traffic of Fairies going around, conducting their everyday business. Although, truth be told, the many water sprites and gill-equipped Fairies were a definite distinction from everyday Haven.

They boarded a large LEP vehicle and Eniram had the automobile's computer take them to Atlantis' own Police Plaza, which was somewhat similar to its counterpart in Haven City. If you can get over the giant sea snake-coiled-around-an-acorn logo put up on the building's front, that is.

* * *

**Commander Eniram's office, Atlantis' Police Plaza**

"Alright, fairies," said Eniram, pointing to projection on his wall. The projection showed a map of the plant-laden plaza, colloquially known by Atlanteans as Plantation Plaza "the target's position is approximate to the Asclepius, so I trust you'll all watch where you're beams are going, in case any shooting becomes necessary"

In addition to Eniram, the office was occupied by Commander Kelp and his retrieval of six, and two more retrieval majors from Atlantis.

"Aleron," said Kelp quietly, calling his fellow commander by his first name "must we take him in when he's…in public?"

Eniram sighed. He knew what Kelp was thinking, he had thought it too. Cahartez was a beloved character, who was respected by many of those standing in the room, never mind the majority of the fairy population.

Arresting the former Council Chairman in the midst of a couple of hundred of his former disciples was surely going to be an unforgettable stain on his memory.

"Yes, commander," replied Eniram, his face could have been etched in stone "I respect the former Chairman, but he's an offender in my city. Former Chairman or not, this renegade lover's going down."

Kelp nodded his understanding.

Together, he and Eniram explained the attack plan to the party of eight fairies standing before them.

"Alright, then," said Kelp "let's move out!"

* * *

**Asclepius Tree, Plantation Plaza**

Cahartez was fairly pleased with the audience's reception of his speech. He had noticed many of them had now turned their heads towards him and abandoned their previous occupation of fervently praying for a cure from the Asclepius tree.

The crowd he had managed to garner in the span of nearly half-an-hour was indeed impressive. Over three hundred fairies were now following his speech with interest.

Of course, most of them were already present in the Plaza. Nevertheless, Cahartez would boast about this number to some of his celebrity friends back in Haven.

"Let us not think of gold as a lifeless material," said Abraxas, making as much eye contact as possible with members of his crowd "but rather, cling to the belief that it is the very basis of our Fairy life"

Cahartez noticed an irregularity in the crowd. He stopped talking and glanced more carefully.

Two figures marched up towards his podium. The crowd instantly divided to allow them space.

Cahartez blanched when he spotted the gleam off the triple acorns logo on each muscular breast.

_Already?_ He wondered _two commanders for this?_

The former Chairman froze, as he quickly calculated his options and then jumped back from the podium. He dashed towards his amphibious shuttle.

* * *

Commander Eniram and Kelp never even made a move towards the former Chairman as he ran towards his shuttle. They stood and watched as Cahartez fumbled through clusters of herbs and flowers, even stomping on some to facilitate his escape.

_Poor fool _thought Eniram, as he looked above him at the team of eight fairies soaring down towards the former Chairman _never had a chance._

* * *

Although his mind registered the fact that something was off, Cahartez's legs kept on striding towards his shuttle. He could hear the gentle hum of its engine ready to take off at any moment.

_How come nobody made a move yet? _Inquired his mind _perhaps they're not here for what I think they're here for._

The good former Chairman had no idea he was right, although he was for all the wrong reasons.

* * *

LEPrecon captain June O'varc spearheaded the V-formation of retrieval team one, while the Atlantean majors were positioned each on one of his sides.

"Take him down, now!" echoed Kelp's voice in his helmet "I don't want him near that shuttle's ramp!"

With a liquid movement he whipped out his Neutrino and took aim.

He fired.

* * *

Cahartez felt as if the back of his robe was set on fire. He collapsed, unconscious, on the grassy floor, his outstretched arm inches away from the bottom of his shuttle ramp.

* * *

The retrieval team descended swiftly around Cahartez's shuttle and began to scout and secure the immediate perimeter at once.

Commander Kelp was already cuffing Cahartez, just like he would a common perp.

Eniram was aboard Cahartez's shuttle with his two majors. They scrutinized the inside of the vehicle thoroughly, but found nothing neither suspicious nor outlawed.

"Good job, O'varc," said Kelp clapping the captain on the back "we should be back in Haven in no time. You'll all get a bonus for this"

Retrieval Team One laughed collectively and started clapping each other on the back.

"Commander," said one of the majors, he had been inspecting Cahartez's podium. The Atlantean was holding a small oblong object with two metal arms jutting from its sides.

"Yes?" said both commanders simultaneously.

The major paused unsure whom to address.

"Well, spit it out, Ark," barked Eniram "what's that in your hands?"

"This is a tunneling bot, sir," said Ark, showing the bot's profile to both commanders "it's been modified, though, it's been changed to scrape layers off things, such as tree bark and…"

"Cut to the chase, Ark," ordered Kelp "where did you find this?"

"It's been linked to Cahartez's podium," replied the major, showing them a length of wire coming out of the bot's underside "I found this little bugger scraping off layers of the Asclepius tree's bark, apparently our former Chairman was trying to steal off a souvenir…" he chuckled.

Kelp sighed.

"Goddamned fool," said Trouble "now we got him for Disfiguration of the Asclepius Tree, too"

* * *

**The Le Livre De Âges restaurant, Adelaide**

Artemis sipped his chicken soup and was dismayed to find it scalding hot. He had specifically asked the waitress not to boil the godforsaken thing.

"This is preposterous, Butler," said Fowl, irritated "Do I have to burn my throat every time I step into one of these restaurants?"

Although the restaurant they were in, the Le Livre De Âges, was considered top class by most of Australia's residents' standards, it was below par by Artemis'.

Butler ignored his charge's minor outburst and continued to inconspicuously monitor the surrounding area. Artemis had insisted that they take one of the tables placed outside the restaurant itself, much to his bodyguard's dismay.

"I don't like this, Artemis," said the manservant taking a quick sip out of his glass of water "I've already spotted about three perfect sniper positions, we could have been dead, by now"

Artemis made a half-snort half-chuckle sound.

"Relax, old friend," said the Fowl "I'm certain no one is gunning for us at the moment, besides I have promised to meet him at once"

"Why couldn't you meet back at the hotel?" inquired Butler.

"I'd rather not he knew about where I reside here," replied his charge "King may not be a threat, but Loki certainly has him under his eyes. You can't be too careful these days"

Butler almost snorted. He was unable to tell if the boy was joking or not.

A figure entered Butler's field of vision. He whipped his head round to see it, but saw no one. His hand instinctively went up to his shoulder holster. A hand clapped him on the shoulder.

"Scared you, big man?" inquired King somewhat cheerily, he paused at the look Butler was giving him "I'm Ryan King, mate, you know, from the…"

"I know who you are," replied the bodyguard tersely "Do that again and you won't hear that ever again"

"You're her brother, aren't you?" questioned King "the hot girl…I mean the _respectable_ girl who accompanied young Mr. Fowl here"

Butler pointed a finger at him. It said "watch it".

Ryan King plopped down into the seat across from Artemis.

"I see your disposition has improved since yesterday," said Artemis with a smirk.

"Are you kidding me?" asked King, who had helped himself to Butler's untouched cocktail juice "I haven't had a good warm bath in about a week!"

"So what did you want?" asked Artemis.

"Right to business, eh?" countered King "Very well, then, I've snooped around a bit in King Gold's website and I've…"

"I thought I told you I was working on this," interrupted Artemis "Ryan, please, you need not worry about it"

Ryan King's face darkened considerably.

"I will not become a spectator in my own life, Fowl!" shouted King "are you as insensitive as you appear to be?"

"The way I see it," countered Fowl "you came asking me for help, in case you do not want it…"

"Gentlemen, please," said Butler, raising his voice above theirs. He was wary of the attention the restaurant's patrons were giving them. "If this conversation cannot take place in a proper manner, it will not take place at all.

"Mr. King, control yourself and temper. Artemis, let him speak"

"Very well, Butler," said Artemis curtly "the floor is yours, Mr. King"

Ryan frowned at those words.

"I used my father's ID to get into King Gold's website," said King "Loki had mine cancelled, but my father's was pretty much active. As you may know, the company's somehow lost about five tons of damned gold.

"Lemont Mining's Head is pretty pissed off, you know? He wants to launch a full-scale investigation, but Loki stops him! Seems to be that this gold didn't really disappear, it was just 'relocated'. Into Loki's pockets I'd say."

Artemis appeared to be deep in thought over what King just conveyed. He had heard a similar theory relayed to him by Holly a couple of hours ago, she said Foaly came up with it. Now, it was being assured.

"And that's not all," continued King "Lemont's Head was pretty firm on that investigation business. The chap sent the company tons of messages about it each day since the gold disappeared.

"However, a day ago, this goddamn onslaught of messages stopped. He even sends one at night about a totally unrelated thing! You think Loki bought him over?"

"Put him under would be more like it," muttered Butler.

"What was that?" asked King "under what?"

Butler did not reply. Ryan was not even sure he heard him.

"This somewhat clarifies things," murmured Artemis thoughtfully "at least now, we know that what these people are after."

"What people?" asked King "and what are they after?"

"_Whoever_ is behind this plot," retorted Artemis "surely, you didn't think this was a one-man show, did you? And to answer your second question. They're after gold"

"Are you for real?" asked King cynically "You must be the genius they say you are! Someone takes over King GOLD Corporation, and you figure out they want gold! Damn!"

Artemis stood up and left a wad of cash on the table. The paycheck.

"We're leaving, Butler," said Artemis curtly.

King huffed and stretched his legs on the table.

"Hey, big man," said Ryan as-a-matter-of-factly "I know she's watching me"

"Oh, yeah?" replied the giant Eurasian "and what are you going to do about it?"

Ryan King as unable to reply. Who would be? Faced with one of the most dangerous men on the planet?

* * *

**(AN: Hope you liked it. By the way, I pronounce Eniram as Any Ram, in case anyone's wondering. Thank you)**


	8. Chapter 7

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_**(AN: Terribly sorry for the delay. Enjoy!)**

_Disclaimer: The Artemis Fowl series and all related characters belong to the great Eoin Colfer. _

_**Warning: This story may contain spoilers from Artemis Fowl books one through six.**_

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**Chapter 7: Trials and Abductions**

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**2 days later, the Hall of Hearing, Haven City **

Haven City's Hall of Hearing was a vast oval chamber, dominated by a large raised platform. The platform had two levels of plush seats on it. Centering the higher level was a golden podium, behind which was the throne-like seat of the Chairman.

Opposing the raised platform was a small, shallow circular pit. Behind the pit were benches rising in levels.

The Hall's walls were made of fawn marble which dated back to the formation of the first Council. Over the years, many technologies were integrated into the Hall.

Large plasma screens hovered high above the platform, enormous speakers lined the Hall's sides, and each seat on the platform was equipped with its own computer.

The Hall of Hearing was the Fairy People's version of the Supreme Court. It was headed by the Council and the Chairman. The Hall of Hearing was reserved for those cases which were more politically sensitive than others or those which garnered much media and public attention.

Other trials were held in one of the LEP's judicial courtrooms. Usually minor crimes, ranging from petty theft to unauthorized aboveground travel.

The trial of former Council Chairman Abraxas Cahartez had fit snuggly into both of the aforementioned criteria. Being a former Chairman, Cahartez's case was more sensitive than dwarf skin faced with the sun.

Also, Cahartez's arrest alone has gained the most media coverage and interest, ever since late former Chairman Nan Burdeh's romantic involvement with a goblin felon.

For the former Chairman's trial, current Council Chairman Acheron Lope had ordered the Council to convene in the Hall of Hearing a mere two days after Cahartez's arrest.

The rows of benches behind the pit were filled to the last bench with spectators, many of whom were supporters of the former Chairman. A portion of the benches was assigned to LEP officers.

The circular pit in front of the raised platform was occupied by a team of five LEP officers surrounding the defendant, Abraxas Cahartez. The former Chairman was shackled by a transparent pair of hard-polymer hand cuffs.

A circular device protruded out of his mouth. A speech restrictor used to prevent him from interrupting the proceedings of the trial.

His grey hair was shaggy and strewn. His eyes were bloodshot and the side of his face was blackened by soot, a result of a goblin fireball feint. His ceremonial crimson robes were covered by blotches of dirt and many of the gems lining the cloth were missing.

As Chairman Lope surmised his predecessor's injuries, he realized he was not at all comfortable in the LEP lock-up. His cellmates must not have been fans of him.

_Poor fool _he thought pitifully _Stealing shards off the Asclepius tree? Where did that come from?_

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_**Meanwhile at the Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide…**_

Artemis Fowl walked among two rows of Australian Art, glancing at each work of art for a few seconds.

He paused at a painting by Benjamin Duterrau, an English artist who had lived much of his life in early colonial Australia. The painting depicted a Tasmanian Aboriginal, throwing a spear. Artemis frowned and started mentally pointing out minor technical flaws within the painting.

His Eurasian bodyguard was a couple of feet behind him, making a call on his cell phone. Artemis could hear him swearing as he tried to establish a signal.

Artemis was growing restless in the hotel suite. His ingenious mind grew tired of the lack of activity. Thus, Artemis had decided he should embark on an art and literature viewing and critiquing tour to relieve him of his boredom.

His first stop was the South Australian Museum, in which he examined the main mass of the Huckitta meteorite, which weighed about a ton and a half. After the Arts Gallery of South Australia, he had planned to pay the State Library of South Australia a visit.

Conveniently, the three buildings were very close to each other in Adelaide's North Terrace.

Artemis squinted at the painting and chuckled, noticing how the artist had mistakenly drawn the aboriginal's nose. It was flat and rather thick, although most Tasmanian aboriginals were known to have remarkably pointed noses.

He moved on to another painting. This time it was one by Luca Giordano, an Italian artist known for his biblical-inspired paintings. The painting depicted the creation of man.

Artemis was unable to fully appreciate, and criticize, the work of art, however, as he felt Butler's hand heavy on his shoulder.

"Artemis," said the bodyguard, his voice extremely calm. It usually was when the manservant was about to impart some bad news "I've been trying to reach Juliet on her cellular. She won't pick up"

"I was under the impression," replied his charge, his eyes fixed on the painting "that you made it clear for her how important it is that she keep in touch with us"

Following Cahartez's arrest, Holly had called Artemis and told him that Kelp was trying as hard as he could to have the council allow him to remove the _Mesmer _laid on Loki. Artemis had decided that they stay in Adelaide, until that job was done. This had forced Juliet to continue monitoring King, something which did not exactly appease her.

"I did, Artemis" the bodyguard said, already giving his sister's cellular another try. He waited until the dial tone ended and the 'no answer' message displayed on his phone.

"Is it possible," hypothesized Artemis "that she could be ignoring her phone?"

Although Butler hesitated for a split second, his reply was firm and decisive.

"No" he said.

"I thought not," said his charge quietly "when was the last she called?"

"A couple of hours ago," replied the manservant, he then proceeded to answer the next question "she said Ryan King was still in his hotel room"

King had reserved a room in fancy hotel in Adelaide, relying on the money lent to him by Artemis.

"Very well, then," said Artemis, then he extracted his cellular phone and dialed Ryan's number. The dial tone droned for a minute or so, before the 'no answer' message displayed. Artemis tried a few more times.

He sighed. King wouldn't pick up either.

Butler cursed under his breath, but maintained his composure. He remained professional as he guided Artemis back the way they came. Although, he knew what this could possibly mean, he did not break his stride as they exited the Arts Gallery.

"Where are we going?" asked Artemis quietly, as his bodyguard ushered him, his hand locked on his charge's elbow, to the busy street. The silver sedan they had rented awaited them by the sidewalk.

"_You _are going back to the hotel," said the bodyguard, as he opened the passenger's door and shoved Artemis inside "_I, _on the other hand, will go check up on my sister" A moment later, he was behind the wheel and turning on the ignition.

"You can't leave me alone," objected Artemis "besides, I'll be safer if I'm with you"

Butler didn't reply. He was already a couple of blocks away from the hotel. Although he agreed with Artemis, a dreadful scenario was playing in his head. He had been trained to expect the worst. If Juliet and King weren't answering, this would mean they were already incapacitated. Or worse.

Going to where they were presumably attacked, in case the attackers hadn't left, would be dangerous. He was against the idea of putting Artemis in the face of such danger. But, leaving the boy alone didn't appeal to him, either. He could easily be the next target.

"Butler," urged his charge.

But the manservant had already made his decision. He twisted the steering wheel sharply, and the sedan swerved into a right turn. Butler could hear a fellow motorist shouting a string of profanities at him.

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**The Hall of Hearing, Haven City**

"In the light of the evidence provided by The Lower Elements Police," said Lope, his voice booming across the large oval room "the testimonies of LEP commanders, Trouble Kelp and Aleron Einram, and the digital evidence provided by the LEP's technical consultant, I hereby sentence Abraxas Leigh Cahartez to a collective five hundred and twenty years of imprisonment in The Deeps maximum security prison, for the following charges:

"Unauthorized contact with a renegade, supplying a Fairy renegade with outlawed weaponry, unauthorized_ mesmerizing_ of a fellow Fairy, Disfiguration of the Asclepius tree with the intent of personal gain…"

The Chairman went on, citing charge after charge. Cahartez's eyes widened as the many convictions bounced off his ears. His face wore a pained incredulous expression. _I did this? _His eyes seemed to wonder.

"Unauthorized _mesmerizing _of a human …" droned Lope, although he was interrupted by slight clearing of the throat.

Cahartez's attorney, a slight old gnome with a withered face, approached the raised platform. He looked up at the Chairman in the eye and when he spoke, his voice, although low and weak, was firm.

"Your honor," said the attorney "the last charge, unauthorized _mesmerizing _of a human, is unproven. None of the _tangible _evidence provided by the LEP supports the assumption that my client has _mesmerized _the human, Stevenson Loki. I therefore ask that you annul said charge, and with it the corresponding time of imprisonment"

From the partition of the audience benches allotted to LEP members, Commander Kelp and Eniram both cursed simultaneously. They had convinced Lope to add the last conviction by linking the _mesmerized _Loki to the _mesmerized _renegade.

Lope sighed and went through dozens of electronic documents in the computer integrated into his podium. A few minutes later, Lope looked down at Cahartez's lawyer.

"Very well," replied the Chairman, finally "I hereby decrease the sentence to four-hundred and forty years of incarceration. Does anyone in the Council see otherwise?"

A large portion of the audience cheered at the decrease in jail time.

The members of the council seated beside him and in the level below murmured briefly, before saying a collective "No".

"Very well," said the Chairman softly, looking down at the defendant "Abraxas Leigh Cahartez, do you have anything you wish to add or object to?"

Instantly, the device jammed into Cahartez's mouth fell off to hang below his chin. It would have been very dramatic except for the fact that the plasma screen above the platform showed a see-from-above view of Lope's finger as it pushed a button.

"Outrageous!" screamed Cahartez, and then he coughed sharply "framed! Innocent! I'm Innocent!"

As he repeated his claims, he circled and looked at every audience member into the eyes. He could have been giving one of his speeches.

His supporters cried in outrage, mimicking him.

"Do you deny that you've altered a tunneling bot's functions," questioned Lope, his booming voice drowning any other "and used said altered functions to illegally obtain pieces of the Asclepius tree? Do you deny your intent to sell the pieces for personal profit?"

"I…I don't deny that particular charge," stammered Cahartez, flummoxed "but by God, I've never been to this St. Peter's Cathedral!"

Lope was growing impatient.

The plasma screen above the platform changed its feed form that of the Council members to that of an official document.

"This document has been obtained by Foaly, the LEP technical consultant," said Lope "It records all aboveground trips made by your private shuttle in the past two years. As estimated by our technical consultant, the renegade must have been put under the _Mesmer _for a period not less than a year, to result in such severe degradation of the retinal edges"

A line of data became highlighted in red.

"This record shows that your shuttle went aboveground through chute E59," continued Lope "about eleven months ago. Chute E59 leads directly to Adelaide, and is only a mile or so away from said cathedral. The shuttle's systems could detect four passengers in the shuttle, yourself and your crew ensemble of two cooks and a pilot"

Cahartez's face paled considerably. He shook his head in disbelief.

The document on the plasma screen changed to another showing a string of numbers

"This is a Retimager report provided by our technical consultant," said Lope "when the retinal readings were compared to your image, no less than two thousand matches were obtained, indicating that you've been in contact with the renegade sprite taking residence on St. Peter's cathedral"

The image of a document shifted to that of a blue screen with a line of writing, before the screen crackled back into the video feed of the raised platform.

Anyone observant enough would have noticed that the line of writing had said "Foaly is a genius".

In the LEP portion of the benches, commander Trouble Kelp started coughing. Eniram clapped him on the back strongly.

"No, No," whispered Cahartes, his voice rising to an enraged shout "NO! I'VE BEEN FRAMED!"

Loped sighed and pushed a button on the panel on his podium.

The circular device jumped back into Cahartez's mouth.

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**The Dolphin Hotel, Room 1408, Ryan King's room**

Butler looked at the shattered doorknob of the room's door. He looked around the corridor, but saw no one in the immediate area. He pushed the door back. It swung easily into the wall behind it.

"Stay here," said the Eurasian, ordering his charge.

Artemis nodded behind him and mouthed a slight 'okay'.

Butler entered the room, his trusty Sig Saur in his hands pointed in front of him. He moved carefully, covering every angle and corner.

The room was wide, a large bed dominating its middle. A small television rested on a table across from the bed.

Butler immediately saw the ruffled sheets and the torn pillows. The broken wooden chair and the overturned tea table.

Signs of struggle.

He looked down toward the plush rug covering the floor and saw a trail, rather resembling a tread mark, leading towards the door.

Someone was dragged across this carpet. Ryan King no doubt.

Butler could imagine the young King being dragged out of the room, incapacitated. Or worse.

He followed the trail of unfurled carpet to the elevators.

How the attackers were able to get Ryan King out of the room and into the elevator, unnoticed, was beyond him. He had already asked many of the floor's occupants if they've noticed anything out of the ordinary. No one gave him any usable information.

He replaced his gun into his holster and led his charge into the elevator.

"What did you find, old friend?" asked Artemis.

"King was pulled out of his room," replied the bodyguard, playing the scenario in his head "possibly by more than one person, judging by the amount of destruction" He pressed the ground floor button.

Artemis was looking at the floor blankly and the giant manservant realized his charge was playing the scenario in his own head.

"They were able to get him into one of the elevators," continued the bodyguard, exiting the elevator, his charge in front of him.

They exited the hotel and stood in front of its revolving doors, on the sidewalk. Butler's eyes shot towards the black sports car parked next to the opposite sidewalk. He sighed. The dark car was rented by Juliet and was where she spent her time staking out King.

They had checked it earlier.

It was empty and the area around it showed no signs of a struggle of any kind. The keys were still in the ignition. The driver's door was even left slightly ajar.

Butler felt a breeze of air the back of his neck as someone exited the revolving doors behind him. Butler's senses were now most stimulated. His training took over as he examined the tread marks so close to the pavement. A big car, judging by the wheels' size. A van, possibly.

He could imagine it perfectly. The assailants pushing a woozy, perhaps drugged, Ryan King out of the revolving doors. They chuck him into the waiting van. Juliet spots them, however, and springs out of her car, leaving the door half-open and the keys in the ignition. But then, what?

Artemis knelt down suddenly. His manicured fingers clasped around an object. He straightened.

"Artemis, did you…" Butler started to ask, but stopped dead as he saw what Artemis had retrieved from the floor.

It was Juliet's jade hairpiece. And it was covered in blood.

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**(AN: I hope you liked this chapter. By the way, reviews would be very much appreciated at this point as the climax of this story is fast approaching and I would like to know how you feel about it as it progresses. Special mention to whoever spots out the Stephen King novel hinted at in this chapter!)**


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